Official Expert Answer
Totals vary a lot by Bundesland and by how many documents you have, but a realistic planning range looks roughly like this:
• Sworn translations and certified copies: often the biggest single block, especially with many transcripts. Get quotes per page before you commit.
• Authority fees for the Approbation or Berufserlaubnis decision, plus a separate fee if an equivalence assessment (Gutachten) is ordered.
• Exam fees for the Fachsprachprüfung and, if required, the Kenntnisprüfung. These are set per chamber and per Bundesland.
• Language courses and exam prep, which is where the range is widest, because it depends entirely on whether you self study or book a course.
• Living costs during the months in which you cannot yet work. In practice this dwarfs all the fees above and is the part most people underbudget.
Budget for the waiting time first, then the fees. And ask for a written fee schedule from your authority so you are not surprised by an additional Gutachten fee later.
• Sworn translations and certified copies: often the biggest single block, especially with many transcripts. Get quotes per page before you commit.
• Authority fees for the Approbation or Berufserlaubnis decision, plus a separate fee if an equivalence assessment (Gutachten) is ordered.
• Exam fees for the Fachsprachprüfung and, if required, the Kenntnisprüfung. These are set per chamber and per Bundesland.
• Language courses and exam prep, which is where the range is widest, because it depends entirely on whether you self study or book a course.
• Living costs during the months in which you cannot yet work. In practice this dwarfs all the fees above and is the part most people underbudget.
Budget for the waiting time first, then the fees. And ask for a written fee schedule from your authority so you are not surprised by an additional Gutachten fee later.